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Starbucks to Open China Coffee Farm, Securing Global Supply

By

Laurie Burkitt

Updated Nov. 15, 2010 10:03 p.m. ET

PUER, China—Starbucks Corp. signed a deal with the Chinese provincial government of Yunnan to set up its first-ever coffee-bean farm in the world to cater to a rapidly growing population of coffee drinkers in China amid a global battle for quality coffee beans.

In the southwest province steeped in thousands of years of tea production, the Seattle-based coffee chain is hiring and training local coffee growers. The hope is that...

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Starbucks to Grow Coffee in China

A new Yunnan province coffee-bean farm marks the first time Starbucks will grow its own coffee, as the U.S. chain eyes further expansion in China. Video courtesy of Reuters.